The present invention relates generally to radar systems, and more particularly, to a processing method and waveform that provides for bistatic unlocked coherent operation of unlocked transmitters and receivers of bistatic radar systems.
The assignee of the present invention manufactures radar systems for use in target detection and target tracking, and the like. The assignee of the present invention continuously endeavors to improve the performance and expand the applications for its radar systems. To that end, a goal of developmental efforts has been to reduce the complexity and cost of the radar systems.
To accomplish this, the assignee of the present invention has developed bistatic unlocked radar systems that do not require the use of atomic clocks or synchronization pulses to lock a transmitter to a receiver. Elimination of synchronizing components reduces the costs and complexity of radar systems.
An invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,956, issued Apr. 7, 1998, entitled "Unlocked W-band Receiver with Coherent Features", assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a coherent radar receiver that has pulse-to-pulse coherence using an unlocked voltage controlled oscillator. The waveform and processing method of the present invention is designed to cooperate with this receiver to provide for a bistatic coherent unlocked radar system.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for a waveform and processing method that permits low cost coherent and frequency agile bistatic operation of unlocked radar transmitters and receivers.